Laser hazards in research laboratories

Laser use is expanding rapidly in laboratories, where multiple use strategies of research are not often amenable to laser engineering safeguards employed in industry. We report on five cases of laser-associated incidents requiring medical follow-up from a single research institution, and present exposure circumstances from four other incidents. Eye injuries from direct and reflected beams resulted from open alignment procedures in the absence of appropriate eye protection. Nd:YAG lasers operated with doubling crystals appear to create a considerable risk. For several reasons, we believe the importance of laser-associated injuries are underestimated and the incidence underreported in the research setting. Although knowledge personnel are shown to suffer lapses in standard operating procedures, most incidents and all injuries involved relatively inexperienced personnel. We propose that research laser users be registered and required to undergo formal training in laser safety. Student researchers are a key target population. Collaborative implementation between the equipment supplier and research user will be required to achieve this widespread implementation of effective training.